11 Reasons why hiring a coach can be a smart move for your career

If you have worked in business for any amount of time you will have heard of coaching. From my experience, coaching is normally thrown together with mentoring, however the two disciplines couldn't be more different. Both have incredible benefits but I want to talk to you about why I think hiring a coach could be one of the smartest things you can do to thrive in your career.

in 2011 I remember sitting in my office in Leeds where I was the HR Manager for a large organisation working in the events industry. To anyone looking in I had the perfect job with amazing benefits and the added bonus of attending lots of cool high profile events. But what no-one knew was that I was very unhappy. I was feeling very unfulfilled, lost and knew I wanted to make a career change but felt trapped and didn't know what to do. At the time I couldn't recognise it but I had all the tell tale signs of Imposter Syndrome. I remember deciding that if I wanted things to change that I needed to change and that led me to google "careers advice" and up popped a life coach in Leeds who focused on careers. So I picked up the phone and made an appointment and at that time I had no idea that this would be the beginning of something that would shape my career and who I am today.

Here are the reasons why I think hiring a coach could be the best move you make:

1 It shows your commitment.

You spend more hours working than you do anything else in your life and yet when you want to make changes it can be put on the back burner as you are too busy juggling everything else. But if you want things to change then hiring a coach shows that you are committed to making changes and you are willing to invest both money and time in the process.

2. You have someone to talk to

When we are feeling unfulfilled or we feel we have lost our mojo there is no-one in the workplace that we can confide in. So working with a coach gives you a safe space to be honest, drop that masks and air your concerns and worries without the fear of being judged or worrying it will have an impact on your future in your current role.

3. They help you understand why you are so unhappy

This was one of the biggest lightbulbs for me in actually understanding why I was so unhappy and that a large part was not down to me or my abilities as I was thinking but that the environment I was working in did not match my values or my personality and this was having an impact on my productivity and mindset.

4. They help you shape what you want in the future

A lot of the people that I speak to know they want to make changes but they are not sure what it is they want to do and therefore they go round and round in circles and don't do anything. Working with a coach will help you to identify what it is you actually want so you have some clarity around the next steps for you.

5. They keep you accountable

Humans are creatures of habit and therefore when life gets busy the changes we want to make can be pushed to the back of the queue. By committing to working with a coach they will help you to keep on track and keep you accountable to take the action necessary to move forward.

6. They will help you build a mindset for success

When working in a business a lot of what happens is not within your control and therefore you can get into the habit of 'whinging" about what is wrong with the company but working with a coach they can start to help you look at things from a different perspective and help you to change the way you respond to what is happening around you.

7. They can help you understand your strengths and help you to build your self belief

When thinking of making changes to your career it is difficult to make those changes when you are not feeling great about yourself. You may struggle to write your CV or present yourself well at an interview so working with a coach they can help you to get super clear on what makes you unique so you can sell yourself on paper and face to face and increase your chances of securing that contract or role that you want to get. One client who I worked with was praised at his interview for his self awareness and was congratulated for working with a coach (by the way he got the job too!).

8. They help you get out of your own way

Fears, doubts, limiting beliefs, low self esteem, low confidence are some of the ways that can hinder you from moving forward in your career. Working with a coach they can help you to work through these so you can start to get out of your own way and take aligned action to make the changes you want to make.

9. They help you get clarify around what's important to you in your work

When looking for a new job or career we are searching for job titles but working with a coach they can help you to strip that back and think about what it is you actually like to do, who you want to spend time with, what type of activities you enjoy so when you start to look for positions you have a clear list of what you are looking for.

10. They don't give advice

This is a biggie. How many times throughout our lives do we get people telling us what they think we would be good at or indeed what they think would be a bad move. Working with a coach takes away this outside noise and allows you to make decisions without any influence what your next steps could be.

11. They are your biggest cheerleader

Making changes can be scary and uncomfortable and we may want to retreat back to the safety of our comfort zone but working with a coach you have someone who is there on the sidelines cheering you on and encouraging you to stay on track to create the career of your dreams.

When I look back working with coaches have been pivotal to my success and allowing me to create a career that I love. The thing is they can help you but really it is you that needs to do the hard work. So you need to be committed to showing up and dong the work required. So the question is, are you willing to invest in a coach to help you to thrive and flourish in your career?

If you are ready to make that leap and you would like to explore working with me on a 1:1 basis, then click here to book a discovery call with me and see whether we could be the right fit to work together.